WesleyGospel Ministries

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WesleyGospel, “Debunking Cessationism.”

—. “Miracles Are for Today! A Refutation of Cessationism.”

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰ backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³² who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

–ROMANS 1:18-25, 28-32 (NKJV)–

What an inconceivable degree of wisdom must they have acquired by the use of their amazing faculties, over and above that with which they were originally endued, in the course of more than SIX THOUSAND YEARS! (That they have existed so long we are assured; for they “sang together when the foundations of the earth were laid.”) How immensely must their wisdom have increased, during so long a period, not only by surveying the hearts and ways of men in their successive generations, but by observing the works of God, his works of creation, his works of providence, his works of grace; and, above all, by “continually beholding the face of their Father which is in heaven!”

–JOHN WESLEY, “OF GOOD ANGELS,” 1.3–

Next he turns to the woman: “What is that thou hast done?” She too has an excuse: “The serpent beguiled me and I did eat.” Ah, this perpetual shuffling the blame back upon God! It has been kept up through the long line of Adam’s imitators down to this day. For SIX THOUSAND YEARS God has been hearing it, and still the world is spared, and the vengeance of God has not yet burst forth to smite all His guilty calumniators to hell! O! what patience in God! And who have ever abused his patience and insulted Him by their excuses more than sinners in this house?

–CHARLES FINNEY, “THE EXCUSES OF SINNERS CONDEMN GOD,” 3.3–

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John Wesley, “Remarks On the Count de Buffon’s ‘Natural History.’”

Dr. Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity (Zondervan, 1994), p. 82.

After listening to “A Man of God: An Interview with Leonard Ravenhill,” a video that I’ve watched several times over the course of my Christian life, I came to see once again, how he took most of his inspiration from the early Salvation Army, especially from stories about William Booth. This caused me to do a little bit of researching in my free time on the Salvation Army and I found out about Samuel Brengle. He was a prominent early Army preacher that described his experience of “entire sanctification.” He had a similar understanding to an Assembly of God “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” without the tongues aspect, which is essentially a feeling of the presence of God, a feeling of entire devotion to God, or a desire to hunger and thirst after righteousness, but it is not to be understood as attaining a state of perfect sinlessness (Matthew 5:6; John 7:37-38; Philippians 3:12). This is where a lot of confusion comes in, where Baptists are listening to the terminology, phraseology, and semantics of the holiness people. It is a desire. It is a desire! And it is a divine presence. It is a hungering and thirsting of righteousness and being filled with the presence of God in a momentary, temporary experience…that eventually wears off and has to be sought again a second time, a third time, a fourth time, etc. But it bends the will in the right direction. Here is Brengle’s experience described:

I awoke that morning hungering and thirsting just to live this life of fellowship with God, never again to sin in thought or word or deed against Him, with an unmeasureable desire to be a holy man, acceptable unto God…In that hour I knew Jesus, and I loved Him till it seemed my heart would break with love. I was filled with love for all His creatures (“Full Salvation–My Personal Testimony”).

Think about that next time someone criticizes your evangelistic zeal for souls. When they say that all you care about is fame, and self-promotion, and “saving the world” like Superman. “What do you think you’re Superman? Trying to save the world?” Such expressions are agnostic blasphemies against the Gospel and the Great Commission. Successful evangelism is still a far cry from the Forbes billionaire. Don’t tell me that my sorry obedience to Jesus Christ means that I think I’m Superman. No, he’s the Superman. I’m just Jimmy the camera guy.

They were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
–Acts 2:4 (KJV)–

On the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
–Acts 10:45-46 (KJV)–

When Paul had laid his hands upon them, 
the Holy Ghost came on them;
and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
–Acts 19:6 (KJV)–

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E. S. Williams, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Gospel Publishing House, 1953), chs. 6-9.

P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines (Gospel Publishing House, 1948), ch. 8.

Harold Horton, The Gifts of the Spirit (Gospel Publishing House, 1934).

Dr. John R. Rice, Great Soul Winners Were Filled with the Holy Spirit (Sword, 1949).

John Sherrill, They Speak with Other Tongues (Chosen Books, 2018).

In a dream, I saw an apologist who has gone to Southern Evangelical Seminary, and used to be involved in CCM. This apologist had their gaze turned away from me, because they thought that I was like Rick Joyner, a NAR charismatic. I’m not, but I do believe in apostles according to Ephesians 4:11, and I said to the apologist, “It doesn’t make sense to say that God can call pastors and teachers, but that he can’t call prophets, apostles, and evangelists. I don’t believe that MorningStar Ministries is apostolic. I believe that there’s something seriously wrong with them, but couldn’t you say that Hudson Taylor, John Wesley, and people like that were apostles?” And then the apologist looked to me and said, “I have been doubting my faith,” but then this person looked up with hope, and said that this could be right. –J.B.